Half the year has officially gone. I'm thinking about my first post of the year and so far nothing has really happened quite the way I planned. Is it really a surprise though?! Things rarely ever happen exactly how we plan them but yet things always happen just they way they are suppose to.

I'm pretty happy this far. I've had quite a few challenges, which forced me to make some changes in my life. I wanted growth and I guess I got just that. The whole thing was definitely not easy to process and I still have a lot to figure but I'm a good space.

Two things I am not super proud of are my lack of consistency with the blog and my poor commitment to my workouts. I'm definitely making the time to improve that for the rest of this year.

I'm also making more time for myself doing more of the things that make me happy, but also meditating and connecting with myself and working on my faith.

My main Goals for the month of July

- Work on Improving my relationship with God- Be more active (Exercise) and drink more water- Get out there more and meet more people- Do more of what makes me happy
How has the year been so far for you? Have you made any plans for the rest of the year?

Happy Easter Everyone!
I hope you've all been well and had a great Easter day.

I have been a totally absent from the blog lately. I've had quite a few things going on and started feeling a bit overwhelmed; when that happens it not always easy for me to get my thoughts together. I allowed myself a small break from the blog in order to sort things out a little but even after that, I still don't feel like I was able to archive much. ..That's just life. It is going to be tough at times, maybe confusing or even overwhelming, but that it is just part of the journey. With all of that, trying to balance s probably the best thing I can currently do. I definitely do not want to neglect the things that bring me joy, like blogging.

Having the right answers to the wrong questions is not worth much but asking the right questions is already part of the answer.
I've been doing a lot of reflection recently (as always, really). I have some pretty important decisions to make and I'm trying to make sure I consider all angles and ask myself all the right questions.

In the same spirit I thought I would share a few thought provoking questions with you.

The closest I came to having a prom was watching it in movies. We don't do proms where I'm from, so I've never had one. I always enjoyed seeing others dress up for the occasion though. All the suits and bows and the amazing beautiful dresses.. it definitely sounds like a very fun experience.

In my high school, we had an end of the year celebration with dance performances, theater and a lot of other very enjoyable activities. I have had the most amazing memories from these times with family and friends but I can't help but wonder what it would have been like to experience the excitement of going to prom, choosing between dresses, and maybe even being accompanied by a hot date. I don't particularly feel like I really missed out on anything tough.

If I had gone to a prom I would have opted for something a little like this:

"Know the difference between being patient and wasting your time"
I came across this posted on Instagram and it spoke to me a lot. I realize I have been wasting my time more than I have been patient with a lot of things. Slightly upsetting but I'm glad I at least came to this realization so that I can be more conscious of this in the future.
This quote got me to think about a lot of the different ways one could be wasting their time and pretty much inspired this post.

What is Love to you?
Peace, Happiness, God.. I'm not too sure how to describe it myself.
Reading children's answers to this same question does not only make me smile but reinforces the feeling that regardless of whether or not we know how to explain Love, we should always make sure we show it.
Although I don't really like commercialized side of Valentine's I enjoy seeing all the different creative ways people express their love and appreciation to the ones they care about. Regardless of whether you are in a romantic relationship or not, I think we should all celebrate Love any occasion we get.

I discovered this a while ago and thought what better time to share it than now.
Children's answer to the question "What is Love".“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.”Terri – age 4 “When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.”Rebecca- age 8“My mommy loves me more than anybody.You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.”Clare – age 6“During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.”Cindy – age 8“Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.”Elaine-age 5“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.You just know that your name is safe in their mouth. Billy – age 4“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.” Noelle – age 7“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.” Mary Ann – age 4“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.” Lauren – age 4“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.” Jessica – age 8
I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's day and remember to keep this lovely spirit around for the rest of the year.

I've always wondered why people can be abuse and unkind to the people they claim to love. The thing is, one cannot give what they don't have, so it is hard to be kind to others if you don't have kindness for yourself. Most people really speak to others the same way they speak to themselves.

If you're dealing with unkind people, try not to judge because we never know why people are the way they are and what they might have gone through.
Not judging and trying to understand and empathize doesn't mean you have to stick around and get hurt either. It is not selfish to chose yourself first and get some distance if you feel you need it.
The more time you spend hearing negative words the more likely you are let them sink in.

If you're not really able to distance yourself from negative and unkind people, try to be more mindful of your thoughts. Watch what you say to yourself and how you talk and react to others. Try to spend more time around positive people. Make sure you don't subconsciously become unkind.
My dad once told me: You can always learn something from others, regardless of whether you like them or not. Try to focus on what you can learn from these people.

Sometimes you'd meet unkind people that would try and make you feel like you are the problem, that is NOT true. Do not change yourself for anybody.
Don't be tempted to be unkind back and give people a taste of their medicine. When you know better, you do better.

Here are a few ways you can be Kind to Yourself

Treat yourself to a nice bath, a spa, a weekend away...

Practice positive affirmation.

Read a nice book.

Meditate. Get in touch with yourself.

Make some time for your hobbies.

Be Kind towards others. Doing good will make you feel good.

Here are a few ways you can be Kind to Others

Give someone a meaningful compliment.

Leave a lovely note for your partner to find.

Write an appreciation letter to a friend.

Buy coffee/juice/water/a sandwich for a colleague.

Donate your used books.

Volunteer at a local shelter.

Remember promote what you like instead of bashing what you hate. I hope you had a good Wednesday. If you have any kindness tips please share in the comment section.

Being less bothered
You can't please everybody. I know this already but still sometimes let others get to me. It doesn't matter if someone thinks I'm a blue goat, I'm not going to turn into one so why should I care?!

Liza Koshy on YouTube
I heard about Liza and saw a few snippets of her videos on Instagram but only recently checked her YouTube channel. She is amazingly creative and I just love love her sense of humor.

Ariana Grande
Even though she is extremely talented I feel like I'm a bit old to be listening to Ariana's music. I stiil enjoy a lot of her tunes. Out of nowhere this week I got hooked on her song "Into You" and I still can't take it out of my head.[Just googled it and even though she had that sweet baby face she is actually 23 :O.]Finding new Inspiration
I've been catching up on Oprah life class and learning so much from others experiences, different ways to look at my own experiences, new ways to think about challenging situations and so much more life inspiration. I love it!

Life can keep us very busy and even get tough at times, so it is very important to make sure we still enjoy it as much as we can.
I hope you all had a great week.